Pet rock
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Pet Rocks were a 1970s fad conceived by Los Gatos, California, advertising executive Gary Dahl. The first Pet Rocks were ordinary gray pebbles bought at a builder's supply store, and marketed as if they were live pets. The fad lasted only about six months, ending with the Christmas season in December 1975, but in its short run the Pet Rock made Dahl a millionaire.
In 1975, Dahl established "Rock Bottom Productions", a company that sold the rocks for US$3.95 each. The pebbles, imported from Rosarita Beach in Baja California, Mexico, came nestled in excelsior, and were contained in a small cardboard box similar to a pet carrier. A "Pet Rock Training Manual" was included on how to properly raise and care for one's newfound pet (notably lacking instructions for feeding). People who purchased these unusual "pets" often gave them names, talked to them, petted them, and taught them to perform simple "tricks".
The instruction manual contained several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While "sit" and "stay" were fairly easy to accomplish, "roll over" usually required extra effort on the part of the trainer. "Come" was found to be impossible to teach reliably.
The advent of electronic toys gave a new twist to the idea: a Ragin' Rocky talking rock from Playmates Toys.
External links
- Virtualpet.com (http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm) Contains details about Gary Dahl and fads.
- Virtual pet rock (http://www.virtualpetrock.nl/) A downloadable virtual pet rock for Mac OS X featuring stats.
Categories: Fads | Pets | Toys